Fifth Avenue West north of the new Gunflint Trail in Grand Marais is moving up high on the list of Cook County Highway Department projects. On July 19 the county board gave County Engineer David Betts the go-ahead to seek an easement from the City of Grand Marais and to solicit bids for the project. The ditch will be re-established and undermined areas will be backfilled.
On July 19, the county board gave Cook County Highway Engineer David Betts the go-ahead to enter a contract for gravel extraction at a good price and very near the two projects that currently need gravel. But before doing so, it made sure it wouldn’t be violating Cook County’s conflict of interest policy.
About 4,500 cubic yards of gravel are needed for stream crossing projects on County State Aid Highway 6 and County Road 75 in addition to gravel obtained from another source. Engineer Betts and Maintenance Supervisor Russell Klegstad visited an S.J. Bautch Construction site where gravel was available for $1.50 per cubic yard. The gravel wasn’t quite what they needed, however, although the price was a little lower than the $1.55 per cubic yard the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources charges.
Joe and Anne Zellner have a site on CSAH 6 right by one of the stream crossing projects and only a mile from the other. They offered the gravel for $1.40 per cubic yard. Anne is a county employee working in the highway department, however.
County Attorney Tim Scannell looked at the county’s conflict of interest policy and decided that the county could legally go ahead with the purchase, partly because the scale of the projects leaves the county free from any obligation to seek bids. The highway department also sought the unanimous approval of the county board.
The board, with Jan Hall absent, voted unanimously to approve the sale. Attorney Scannell determined that a unanimous vote of the commissioners present at the meeting was okay.
An upcoming project for the department will be repair of Fifth Avenue West above the new Gunflint Trail. Engineer Betts said the ditch will be reestablished and undermined areas will be backfilled. Currently, cement barriers separate the road from the ditch.
“It’s not a good situation there,” Commissioner Fritz Sobanja said.
Design changes have brought the estimated cost up from $50,000 to $60,000-65,000.
The board approved a motion to obtain quotes from two local contractors believed to be best equipped for the job: S.J. Bautch Construction and Edwin E. Thoreson Inc., contingent on bids coming in under $65,000 and the City of Grand Marais granting an easement to do the work.
Final cost for Ski Hill Road
The board approved final payment to KGM Contractors for its work on County State Aid Highway 5, the Ski Hill Road in Lutsen. The estimated cost had been $962,000. Because of changes made during construction and an incentive award for quality work, however, the actual cost ended up being $1,034,000, 7 percent over budget.
Leave a Reply